About Boys Hope Girls Hope of Colorado
Boys Hope Girls Hope of Colorado helps academically motivated high school and college students rise above disadvantaged backgrounds to earn a high school diploma, entry into college, and a college degree through mentoring, tutoring, and scholarship.
Our goal is to support young people who are physically, emotionally and academically prepared for post-secondary education and a productive life. By helping these students earn both their high school and college degree, we are effectively breaking the cycle of poverty. BHGH of Colorado utilizes the following elements to achieve our mission:
- Academic excellence
- Service and community engagement
- Family-like settings to cultivate youth empowerment
- Long-term and comprehensive programming
- Faith-based values
- Voluntary participant commitment
Boys Hope Girls Hope sees something special in me, something that I never saw in myself. Boys Hope Girls Hope has challenged me to do things that I had never thought I could do. Boys Hope Girls Hope has been an inspiration to me and my family.
Fernando, BHGH Collegian
Our Mission
To nurture and guide motivated young people in need to become well-educated, career-ready men and women for others.
Our Vision
We believe in opportunity, education and inclusion for every young person.
-
ACADEMIC FOCUS
We believe in the transformative power of education to develop lifelong learners using:
• Strengths-based, positive youth development approaches
• Practical preparation for careers to sustain one’s self and family
• Exposure to diverse opportunities that enrich one’s life and enhance learning
• Scholarship incentives encouraging and maximizing self-motivated learning -
SERVICE AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
We believe in the Jesuit-inspired, values-centered hallmark of building “persons for others” by:
• Developing character through service learning activities related to social justice and civic responsibility
• Educating those at every level of our organization in cultural competence
• Seeking collaborative partnerships to enhance our mission -
FAMILY-LIKE SETTINGS TO CREATE A SENSE OF BELONGING
We believe youth derive their energy and sustenance from exposure to nurturing environments that provide:
• Inclusion in a loving community that meets youth where they are but sets high expectations
• A feeling of “being home”
• Strong and supportive developmental relationships with adult mentors and peers
• Stability, structure, and individualized guidance in small settings
• Modeling of positive values -
LONG-TERM AND COMPREHENSIVE COMMITMENT
We believe an enduring relationship with youth holds the most promise for attaining positive outcomes by:
• Intervening early to support scholars from adolescence through college graduation and beyond
• Offering a holistic spectrum of programming that evolves with the age and needs of youth
• Providing ample opportunities for youth to develop social and emotional learning skills -
FAITH-BASED VALUES
We believe that a loving God cares about the life of every individual and we manifest this belief by:
• Focusing on those most in need of our services
• Respecting, serving and engaging people from all faith traditions
• Fostering spirituality and an active faith life as essential elements of healthy personal development
• Helping youth develop a moral compass based on universal principles -
VOLUNTARY PARTICIPANT COMMITMENT
We believe in the motivational power of selfselection into the BHGH program because:
• Parents and Scholars share a vision for a better future
• Scholars elect to invest in themselves and are empowered to join
• Families value and trust in a working partnership with BHGH
• BHGH serves bright, capable young people who are motivated to overcome obstacles to reach their potential
Our Local Impact
BHGH of Colorado's History
1977
BHGH of Founded in St. Louis
Fr. Paul Sheridan, S.J. founded Boys Hope Girls Hope in St. Louis, Missouri.
1993
BHGH of Colorado Founded
Boys Hope Girls Hope of Colorado was established in 1993 with the Boys Hope Residential Home
2010
Girls Hope Home Opened
Just 2 blocks away from the Boys Hope Home, the Girls Hope home opened its doors to serve 5 girls in need.
2013
Academy Program Opened
The non-residential Academy Program was launched at Aurora Central High School for the freshman and sophomore classes.
2016
First Academy Class Graduates from Aurora Central High School
9 scholars from the first BHGH Colorado Academy class graduated from Aurora Central High School. All 9 are still in college today.
2017
First Girls Hope Scholars Graduate College
Alexis and Aaliyah, the first Girls Hope scholars graduated from college! Alexis attended Fort Lewis College and Aaliyah graduated from the University of North Texas.
2018
Transition To Focus On Academy Program Exclusively
To serve more children-in-need, Boys Hope Girls Hope of Colorado focuses exclusively on our Academy and Collegian Programs.
Leadership
Our Board of Directors and staff collaborate to ensure mission fidelity, financial stewardship and transparency. This team of professionals is committed to continuous learning, effective programming and improvement through impact evaluation and innovation.
Mary Frances Tharp
Executive Director
Polica Houston
Program Director
Jake Zambrano
Board Chair
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Jake Zambrano, Chair
76 Group
Frank Jedlicka, Vice Chair
ADTRAN
Polly Lestikow, Past Board Chair
Closet Factory
Laurel Hammer, Treasurer
KPMG
Mary Frances Tharp, Secretary
Boys Hope Girls Hope of Colorado
Mary Beth Baer
Community Volunteer
Bob Bowman
Catalyst Law Group
David Card
Regis Jesuit High School
Sean Casper
Civitas Resources
Michelle Galuszka
Escuela de Guadalupe School
Cindy Garrett
West Monroe Partners
Kenneth Goebel
West Monroe Partners
Fr. Jim Goeke, S. J.
Regis Jesuit High School
John Newland
Hercules Industries
Christian O’Dwyer
BOK Financial
Jameka Spencer
JS Property Partners Consulting
Kenneth Stable
University of Denver Law School Student
Robert Strauss
Raytheon, Retired
Jasmin Tapia
Citywide Banks
Joanna Vosburg
UMB Bank
EMERITUS BOARD
Scot Anderson
Susan Bailey
Janet Cooper
Jack Corrigan
Scott Cromie
Rob Crosby
Dr. Robert Fante
Mark Kiniry
Chuck Latham
Mary Ann Littler
Dr. Charles Mateskon
Conor McCallin
Patrick McCarthy
Deborah S. O'Dwyer
Ann Rice
John & Angela Schmidt
Jo Swanson, Ph.D.
Kent Swanson
Stephen Tierney
Adam Truitt
YOUNG PROFESSIONALS BOARD
Rhett Cross
Katie Crump
Allison Egan
Patrick Egan
Zach Hynek
Melinda McCluskey
Tea Merdanovic
Lisa Peters
Phil Stidham
Joanna Vosburg
Nicole Ruybal
The Need We Address
Prior to joining our program, our scholars’ face environmental barriers that make it difficult to concentrate on achieving their goals. The relationship between educational failure and poverty creates a vicious cycle that affects too many children in our communities and negatively impacts our entire society.
- Twenty-one percent of children in the US live in poverty (Census Bureau, 2014)
- Children born into poverty are six times more likely to drop out of school (Cities in Crisis, 2008).
- The longer a child lives in poverty, the lower their overall level of academic achievement (Guo and Harris, 2000).
- Children from families in the highest income quartile are 8 times as likely to earn a college degree that those from the lowest income quartile (Pell Institute and Penn Ahead, 2015).
- In 1980, college graduates earned 29% more than those without. By 2007, that gap grew to 66% (Baum & Ma, 2007).
- The costs to United States society are significant in terms of economic productivity, tax revenue, health care over-utilization, parental attention to children’s educational development, civic engagement, and volunteerism (Baum & Ma, 2007).
- According to CEOs for Cities, every one percentage point increase in adult four-year college degree attainment adds an additional $763 to per capita income per year (One Student at a Time, 2013).
- Cohen and Piquero (2009) monetized the cost to society over the course of a “negative outcome” child’s lifetime as follows: High School Dropout = $390,000 - $580,000, Plus Heavy Drug User = $846,000 – $1.1 Million, Plus Career Criminal = $3.2 - $5.8 Million.